Get Help for Plantar Warts
Many people like to walk around barefoot during the hotter months of the year, but if you start noticing tiny bumps on the bottom of your feet, you may want to take a closer look. Most likely those are not calluses, but plantar warts.
Plantar warts appear on your feet due to a contagious virus. You can pick up the plantar wart virus just about anywhere – in the locker room at the gym, at your local swimming pool, in public showers, etc. Be careful about where you decide to go barefoot, because you could end up with plantar warts.
You might fear getting a plantar wart because it’s embarrassing or just looks unsightly, but plantar warts are actually painful, too. Plantar warts are located on the bottom of your feet, so every time you take a step, you may feel like you’re stepping on a pebble or other hard mass. But you’re really stepping on the hard, rough plantar wart.
Because plantar warts cause so much discomfort, it’s important to practice techniques to try to avoid getting a plantar wart. As explained above, the most effective way to prevent the plantar wart virus from infecting your feet is to wear water shoes or sandals in pool areas, locker rooms and other public places.
If you do contract the plantar wart virus, don’t panic. FootSmart has teamed with The Podiatry Institute to recommend ways to effectively treat your case of plantar warts.
Surprisingly, the most important step in treating plantar warts is to correctly identify them. If you mistake your plantar warts for something else, like foot calluses, you won’t know to seek the proper treatment.
To get rid of a plantar wart, you can apply an over-the-counter product that promotes easy plantar wart removal. Many of these plantar wart removers contain acid or acid patches to destroy the viral cells.
If your case of plantar warts does not respond to any over-the-counter plantar wart removers, visit your podiatrist or regular doctor. You may need more aggressive treatment to get rid of your plantar warts.
Here are some examples of doctor-recommended plantar wart treatments:
In order to get rid of plantar warts, your doctor may…
- Freeze the plantar wart (cryotherapy) with a very cold solution, such as sodium nitride, to kill the plantar warts on your feet.
- Use laser treatment to burn out the plantar wart.
- Recommend surgery (under local anesthetic) to get to the root of the plantar wart.
If your plantar warts continuously reappear, your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic.
Information on foot and lower body health conditions like plantar warts provided by The Podiatry Institute, dedicated to advancing the standard of care in podiatric medicine and its effects on muscoskeletal health.